ham hock and pig hock bargain food!

angchris

i have just returned from sainsburys with a reduced ham hock for 49p :j only trouble is i have no idea what to do with it i thought if anybody can give me some ideas as to what to do with it here is the place to come!
cheers

Prudent

Wonderful insted of stock in lentil soup. I find it best to allow the soup to cool and then skim off the fat.

Queenie

Pea and Ham Soup :drool:

This was my FIL's recipe (he only ate tinned peas Please read with a Lancashire accent )

~ Soak ham shank for about 24hrs to remove salt.
~ Remove from water, rinse under cold tap (throw soaking water away)
~ Using fresh water, bring ham shank to the boil then allow to simmer until meat falls off the bone.
~ Remove skin and bone, cut meat into chunks and season
~ Add onions, potatoes and any other vegetables as required.
~ cook until potatoes are soft
~ Empty 2 large tins of peas, (including liquid) into pan, simmer until peas are soft. Enough for 2 people.

I've actually used them to make a casserole in the SC. You'll be surprised how much meat comes off and once chopped up stretches quite well if you bulk out your casserole with loads of veggies. HTH

Queenie

From the recipe index: Pork Hock and Lentil Soup

angchris

thanks for the suggestions but i have already made a veggie soup today if i make another i think i will be eating it for a week solidly :eek: and i dont fancy that as i have plenty of todays soup left! maybe the answer is to freeze it and do pea and ham soup for next week does it matter what type of peas goes into it? also as it was reduced would it be ok for another day soaking?
these are the times i really wish i had taken more notice of what my mum did in the kitchen, i swear she could turn a rasher of bacon into a banquet for 10 :rolleyes: all i can manage to do is turn a banquet for 10 into a meal for 1 lol

ymcas

Soak hock, put in slow cooker with potato, carrot, red lentils and tinned tomatos. When ready to eat it pull the hock out, portion up the meat and serve with as much of the rest of the casserole as you want. I usually find there is lots of the casserole left which i mix with some passata to make soup to freeze.

angchris

ive just dragged out my slow cooker from the hidy hole its been living in since i moved 6 years ago and ive lost the cable somewhere along the way :eek: i must get myself on ebay to try and find another lead so i can start cooking os properly, i had only used it a few times before i packed it away as it was given to me and didnt really know what to do with it as it didnt come with instructions, but after reading all the very helpful threads on here i now am armed with plenty of recipes to give it a proper go! thanks for all your great help you guys :beer:

pawpurrs

Is it the one that says pork hock or does it actually say ham, as i got a reduced pork hock in sainsbugs the other day and it was orrible, not at all like a ham hock, I did mine in the slow cooker, and it had to be fed to the dogs. YUCK.

angchris

ive just gone and had a rummage through my freezer to find it and it is a pork hock i didnt know there was a difference! oh well if it turns out nasty i have a very hungry rottweiler that will eat anything thrown his way :rolleyes: at least he appreciates my cooking!

pawpurrs

Neither did I hence my surprise at the smell of over cooked pork rather than a nice ham, ho hum! Took me ages to remove the fat off too, but the dogs did like it and there was a nice jelly at the bottom of the slow cooker and it didnt cost much more than dog food, however if you want to eat it yourself, I think it may work better roasted?

liz.._4

I bought a huge pig hock from the farmers market the other day, organic and it was only £1.80. I've got it in the slow cooker now with a mixture of pulses and I'm going to make a soup out of the broth when its ready. With the meat I'm going to take it all off the bone and press it all into a bowl with a few spoons of the liquid, put a saucer on top with weights to weigh it down, and chill in fridge. This makes it set and you can then turn it out onto a plate and slice it and serve with chips and pickles. Ever so tasty too and thats 2 meals for us (a family of 4...plus one dog!)

Just thought I'd post this as its a joint that you don't see in the supermarket but would get in the butchers. I looked in all my cookery books and can't find it in them so wondered if it was a familiar recipe to other 'os' ers? My mum used to make it and thats where I got the recipe from.:)